Ragnarok's Prelude
by NotSoUnforgivableCurse
Summary: War is brewing, and Harry and his friends gain new allies and enemies...human and non-human. [Post-OoTP]
1. Author's Notes

First things first... the Disclaimer:   
  
I own nothing regarding Harry Potter! You hear me? Nothing! Only the fictitious characters and plot are mine. Any resemblance to these characters, living, dead or undead, is strictly by coincidence. (In other words, don't sue me)  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
OOPS! I accidentally put the entire story in one chapter. Hehehe...  
  
This is Post Order of the Phoenix. (SPOILERS) This has some references to Filipino mythology (from the Philippines for those who have no idea) so here is a site that contains links to pages with stuff about Filipino mythology:   
  
http://www.duyan.com/search/Arts_and_Humanities/Myths_and_Legends/index.shtml  
  
If you wish to flame me about my choice of mythology, then hear this:   
  
I only wish to bring to my little spotlight something different. Bear with it.  
  
I suggest that you should check out this link first. It contains the basics of most mysthologies and monsters in the Philippines.   
  
Read and review the story! And enjoy.  
  
***NotSoUnforgivableCurse*** 


	2. The Owl Messages

Ragnarok's Prelude  
  
Chapter One: The Owl Messages  
  
Summer once again reigned in Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Inside a window, Harry Potter, sixteen years old, lay awake. Of course, he had almost always been awake since the day he came back from Hogwarts, for when he got the chance to sleep, he would be visited every night by the nightmares of Cedric's death two years ago. Worse than that, there was another nightmare that entered his dreams: Sirius's death. Every night, the alternating scenes of Cedric dying by Wormtail's hand, and seeing Sirius fall through the veil, never to come back, always disturbed his sleep. And the prophecy kept playing in his mind everytime he closed his eyes:  
  
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the  
Dark Lord knows not, And either must die at the hand of the other for  
neither can live while the other survives, The one with the power to  
vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.  
  
He woke up, and seeing the plate of food pushed through the flap under his door (the Dursleys, alarmed at Mad-Eye Moody's threats, were keen not to disturb him), began to eat what little had been given to him. Luckily, his friends had already sent him food on his birthday. Also, he received some unusual gifts. Hermione sent him an interesting book titled Wandless Wonders, which was about using magic without a wand, with a letter that said:  
  
Hi Harry!  
  
Hope you like the book! It might come in handy for our D.A. sessions. Oh, and we have some new surprises from the Order. Can't tell you too much, Voldemort might intercept it, and you know what might happen.  
So anyway, are you having a better summer there at the Dursleys? Anyway, hope to see you again. Be careful. Remember, as what the fake Moody said, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"  
  
Hermione  
  
Ron's gift was a pair of magical non-slip Quidditch gloves. The Weasley twins, on the other hand, gave him a bag of their latest Weasley's Wizard Wheezes joke items, as well as new shirts and (to Harry's surprise), a dragonskin jacket. Wow, Harry thought, business must be booming. Their mother, Molly Weasley, sent him plenty of food to last a week. Also, he received a Hogwarts letter detailing him about the new books for the next school year. The usual, Harry thought. He also received a small gift from Dumbledore, with a letter:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I know you have been banned from Quidditch last year, no thanks to Ms. Umbridge, and I am now lifting that ban, though I have sent you something to.how shall I say it.sharpen your abilities that have been dulled by months of no Quidditch. Anyway, don't worry about your stay at the Dursleys. Moody, by now, has sent you a letter on when you'll be going back to the Grimmauld Place. I hope you are doing fine, and I would like to apologize deeply for Sirius's death.  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
  
Harry opened the package. As soon as the last wrapper fell away, he was almost knocked back by a flash of golden wings, which he caught with his Seeker reflexes: A golden Snitch! Harry was more than happy; he was ecstatic, having his own Snitch, when he was reminded forcibly of his dad.and Sirius, which dampened his spirits a bit. Then he looked into the package that Hagrid sent to him. To his surprise, Hagrid had sent a photo of him and Grawp, who still retained arrow scars from the last time he encountered the centaurs. They were playing catch, and Harry was amused to see that Hagrid kept stumbling away whenever Grawp threw the ball at him. There was a note written at the back:  
  
Hi Harry:  
  
Glad to see that you're safe there! Grawp, and me? We're playing catch. He's getting along fine here. Even the centaurs (this is a surprise) have gotten over their grudge against me, though they still say that Firenze is banished. Anyway, they're helping me tame Grawp. Did you know, he could speak some English now? He calls me "Hagger" now, how sweet! Anyway, be careful now out there. You-Know-Who's back, and who knows what horror he'll have saved just for you.  
  
Hagrid  
  
He even received a pair of modern-looking glasses from Cho, saying in the letter that they were bewitched so that, with a tap of his wand, he would be able to detect, any malicious intent of people seen from the glasses. Harry replied with a thank you note and attached it to the owl that Cho had used. Aside from those, he also received his OWLs. The message said:  
  
Mr. Potter:  
  
Here are your results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level tests: History of Magic: A Transfiguration: O Charms: E Potions: O Defense Against the Dark Arts: O Astronomy: A Divination: P Care of Magical Creatures: A Herbology: E  
  
In your next school year, you may take any of the following NEWT subjects: Transfiguration Charms Potions History of Magic Defense Against the Dark Arts Care of Magical Creatures Herbology  
  
We wish you good luck in the following school term. You are expected to perform better in you NEWT classes, as these subjects will help decide your future as an Auror.  
  
Professor Dumbledore Headmaster, Hogwarts School for Wizardry  
  
How he passed Potions, Harry wondered, he would never know. He had wanted to be an Auror when he grew up. I;m so lucky! Harry thought as he read parts of Wandless Wonders.  
  
But there was something different about his birthday. Another owl, colored pitch black with blue eyes, was hooting softly, holding out a letter on its leg. Harry worried that Voldemort might have sent it, but then again, why would Voldemort greet him a Happy Birthday? He opened the letter and saw, in unfamiliar writing:  
  
Hello Harry!  
  
I hope that your folks are treating you better. Anyway, better keep this short, in case someone intercepts this. Prepare your things because by tomorrow evening at 7:00 pm, a friend of yours will pick you up. The password is "phoenix eye" in case you're in doubt..  
  
Hope to see you soon.  
  
"Mad-Eye" Moody p.s: This message will burst into flame once you release it.  
  
Harry tossed the letter into the air, where it promptly self-inflamed and turned into ashes the second it reached the floor. They're coming, he thought excitedly. So, as the Dursleys settled into sleep, Harry immediately packed up his things.  
  
Reviews are nice. Flames are not nice. Remember, if you have any criticisms, do so in a tactful tone.  
  
*****NotSoUnforgivableCurse***** 


	3. Author's Notes 2 a bit of summary

First things first. the Disclaimer:  
  
I own nothing regarding Harry Potter! You hear me? Nothing! Only the fictitious characters and plot are mine. Any resemblance to these characters, living, dead or undead, is strictly by coincidence. (In other words, don't sue me)  
  
Author's Notes 2:  
  
OOPS! I accidentally put the entire story in one chapter. Hehehe.  
  
By the way, a bit of a summary before continuing:  
  
Ragnarok's Prelude:  
  
War is brewing (hence the prelude to Ragnarok (Norse for the final war, you know.). Harry realizes that even Muggles are wizards. He and Cho share something besides losing someone close to them. Dumbledore reveals new sides of himself. Dean's hope in the end of their third year becomes true (hehehe). Many secrets will be made and discovered. The four Houses start to come together. Will they unite or will they fall divided to Voldemort? Find out soon!  
  
***NotSoUnforgivableCurse*** 


	4. A New Member of the Order

1 Chapter Two: A New Member of the Order  
  
"WHAT?" Vernon Dursley roared, as Petunia and Dudley cowered in a corner of the living room. "YOU MEAN TO SAY THAT THOSE.PEOPLE ARE COMING OVER TO MY HOUSE?"  
  
"Relax", Harry replied, even though he doubted Vernon would do that. "We are going to meet in the old playground and you won't have to see them at all."  
  
Immediately, the rage in Vernon's eyes lessened. "Fine.fine. I want you there and you had best get going. I am not going to take you back if they don't come." At those words, Harry trembled a bit. What if they would not come?  
  
By nightfall, Harry waited at the playground. The chilling wind, combined with the eerie rustling of the trees, seemed to whisper words of warning to him. His senses seemed to increase in sensitivity. Immediately, he donned the new glasses that Cho had given him and tapped them with his wand.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound and, turning to to source of the sound, he saw a cloaked figure standing in the shadows. Though the glasses registered nothing, Harry pulled out his wand, just in case.  
  
"Harry?" called a familiar female voice. No, it can't be, could it be.? It was a few seconds when Harry said, "Is that you.Cho?"  
  
The figure removed her hood and, sure enough, with the familiar raven-black hair, it was Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw Seeker whom he had fancied since his third year. She smiled, though a bit guardedly, and Harry saw that she was gripping her wand now. "What's the password?"  
  
Harry instantly replied, "Phoenix eye." At once Cho asked him, "What form did my Patronus take?"  
  
Harry stared at her. This wasn't what Moody wrote to him. Thinking back last year on the times they had Patronus training, he remembered. "A swan."  
  
Immediately, she smiled brightly, ran up to him and hugged him tightly. Harry was sure that he would suffocate from this until Cho would let go. Then she muttered, "I'm sorry, Harry for what happened last year."  
  
Harry replied, "Don't worry. I wasn't in a good mood that time. I'm supposed to be the one apologizing, because if I were in that situation, I would have defended my friends too," then he began to worry whether there were Death Eaters, so he continued, "but we should continue this later. Who knows if someone's spying on us."  
  
"Good point." At this, Cho rummaged through her pockets and, after a while, she drew out a piece of what was unmistakably an origami figure of a swan.  
  
"Cho, is that a Portkey?" Harry asked, and after Cho nodded, he touched it, and after a count of "one-two-three", he felt the familiar tug of the Portkey as he was transported back to No. 12, Grimmauld Place, the old house of his godfather, Sirius Black, who died last year. After the whirl of shapes and colors, he dropped down on the pavement outside the hidden house.  
  
"Alright, Harry, let's get inside before anyone sees us," she whispered, and after visualizing the name of Sirius' house, they entered the door that appeared before them.  
  
"Harry! Cho!" Hermione whispered, in case the portraits would wake up again, while Ron said, "Hey mate? How are you?"  
  
"Fine.or fine as one can be while living with the Dursleys", Harry said, while they all laughed. Then Hermione faced Harry with an oddly mischievous grin. "By the way, look behind you. Cho's not the only one who joined the Order."  
  
"What do you mean, 'not the only one'?" asked Harry.  
  
"Hey Harry!" called out several voices. Harry spun around and saw, to his surprise, the other members of the D.A.  
  
"Hello Harry. Hi Cho.", came the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood, "Professor Lupin visited us and invited our families to join the Order. Now with the news that Voldemort is back.yes, I know I'm saying his name", she continued, looking at Harry's surprised look (both because Luna was saying Voldemort's name and also because everyone in the room only displayed minor signs of shock), "because I just realized that we will become even afraid of him if we fear his name."  
  
"That's right", piped up Ernie Macmillan, "we have seen how terrible Vol- Vol-Voldemort was in the past, and we really can't afford to show more fear than we already have, now do we?"  
  
Everyone replied, "Hear, hear!" and Harry smiled.  
  
Suddenly, a laugh emanated from the door near them - it seemed that that Moody, Tonks and Lupin were listening from the other side of the door. Then Moody said, "Good job Potter! You were able to help other students fight against the Dark Arts, and, as I heard from Albus, their training was not a waste, seeing that you", gesturing to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna, "were able to hold off several Death Eaters last year."  
  
There were expressions of shock and wonder from the other D.A. members. "They fought Death Eaters?" asked Zacharias Smith and Marietta, who often disliked Harry.  
  
"Yes, and did you know that they were good?" asked Tonks, and the two students did not show it, but Harry knew that from now on, they were seeing him again in a new light.  
  
"Right, now that the D.A. is back, what do we do?"  
  
"Well, for starters, I have taken off the jinx from the contract we made", replied Hermione, "and I'm very sorry to have jinxed you Marietta, but I really had to do it on account of Umbridge."  
  
"Well.ok", Marietta replied, "and please accept mine. I guess I shouldn't have underestimated you." Hermione smiled too, and they shook hands, while Zacharias Smith shook hands with Ron.  
  
"Well now, Potter", said Moody, "now that the D.A. is back and old wounds are healed, you had better start planning your lessons." At this, everyone stared again at Harry, who immediately turned away, embarrassed at the sudden attention.  
  
Harry sat on his bed at night, thinking. Now with the D.A. back, he had to take on the responsibility of preparing lessons. It was as if he had become, unofficially, the new Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
  
"Hi Harry." Said Cho, who had seen him.  
  
"Oh, hi Cho. Why are you still here at Grimmauld Place?"  
  
"Well," began Cho, "it happened about three weeks after I got home. My parents informed me that we have joined the Order of the Phoenix. But, as we were on our way home, we saw the Dark Mark hovering above our house. Upon visiting our home, we were ambushed by Death Eaters. Luckily, we were able to hold them back, but seeing as we were being followed, my parents decided to leave me here so that they won't easily find me. My parents, though, decided to go to Asia to recruit new members."  
  
"In fact," a voice interrupted them. Professor Dumbledore stepped out from behind a nearby room, smiling. "I can see that you two are becoming quite a pair" - Harry and Cho blushed - "but that is not the reason that I have interrupted your chat."  
  
"Hi Professor!" Hermione and Ron said as they climbed the stairs to sleep. Harry was glad that he and Cho had stopped blushing, but he still noticed the mischievous grins of Ron and Hermione.  
  
But before they could start teasing him, Dumbledore continued, "Yes. I see that you are all here. As I had said moments ago, Ms. Chang's parents went to Asia to recruit new members of the Order. One of those new recruits is here. He came from the Philippines and, mind you, he is very good with magic. Erwin!"  
  
A black-haired boy stepped out of Dumbledore's room. His height was between Harry's and Cho's, and he had a serious and thoughtful look. His brown eyes, though, told a different story. They were piercing and (Harry blinked a couple of times in case it was an illusion) kept flashing different colors, just like diamonds. "Professor Dumbledore, you called?"  
  
"Yes. Let me introduce to you Erwin Verano. He transferred from the Philippine Magical Training Academy. He is one of the best in his early years. He will study at Hogwarts, will study at your year, and he will be a great help in your D.A. meetings."  
  
"Hi Harry," said Erwin, strangely not glancing at his scar, as most people usually did, "I have read about you in several books, including the Quibbler. Mind you," he continued, when he saw Harry laugh, "I read any book that comes my way (Hermione, who also loved books, beamed at him). That was smart of you, starting a Defense Against the Dark Arts club." He smiled, as the others grinned.  
  
Professor Dumbledore interrupted them. "All right, now that we are done, you may all sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." But just before they could separate to find rooms, he stopped them, "You'll all be sleeping in the same room, where I have placed wards to protect you. I call it the War Room. You will also find that the D.A. members will be there, given that Voldemort has ideas that they have joined the Order, as in Ms. Chang's case, so their parents agreed to let them stay here." Just before they left, Cho kissed Harry on the cheek, which made him blush furiously.  
  
Dumbledore was right. When Harry opened the door to the "War Room" he was greeted by a blast of noise coming from the people in the room. Fred and George were demonstrating their latest Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to a group of students he recognized as members of the D.A.  
  
"Hey Harry!" the students began to shout, but Mrs. Weasley's yells of "GO TO SLEEP!" immediately silenced them. As they went to sleep, Harry reminded himself to empty his mind of emotion so that Voldemort would not play with his mind again. So he slept, as visions of red accompanied his sleep. 


	5. Erwin Verano

Chapter Three: Erwin Verano  
  
Early next morning, Harry woke up, scar prickling gently. The room was quiet, punctuated only by the snores of the D.A. members. He decided to go eat a quick breakfast.  
  
So much had changed since the last time he was here. The whole manor seemed to have grown large to accommodate the new arrivals, and, as Harry surmised, it was starting to become another Hogwarts.  
  
"Harry?" It was Erwin who spoke from behind him. "I didn't know you also were an early bird. "  
  
Harry saw that Erwin was preparing breakfast for everyone. "And I didn't know you were the cook."  
  
"Ha ha," Erwin retorted, his eyes flashing rainbows of colors again, "I just wanted to take my mind off things, just like you."  
  
Harry immediately stopped laughing. "What do you mean, 'just like me'?"  
  
"You're not the only one who has lost someone dear to you."  
  
Harry stood, lost for words. "Who do you know was lost to you?"  
  
After a long silence, Erwin muttered, ".All of my relatives."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Harry, thunderstruck that someone had lost more than his parents, "I didn't mean to ask."  
  
"Don't worry," Erwin interrupted, "It's been a long time since I told anyone about that. At least the load feels lighter now that it shared with someone else." After that, he smiled and continued to cook breakfast, occasionally asking Harry to help him with some parts of cooking. Harry, who had spent many years cooking breakfast for the Dursleys, was eager to help.  
  
After an hour, the two could hear noises coming from the War Room, indicating that the students were awake. "Good timing that we were able to finish making breakfast," Erwin said while washing his hands. Harry, on the other hand was preparing the plates and utensils. At the same time, the door opened, and Mrs. Weasley, huffing, said, "I'm sorry I woke up late. Now I have to." She stopped, seeing the finished chores. She heaved a sigh of relief, and asked, "Who did this?"  
  
"We did," Erwin answered. At that, Mrs. Weasley beamed at them and hugged them both and ran off to tell the others that breakfast was ready.  
  
"Wow! This is good!" Colin Creevey squealed, and everyone in the room agreed. "Did you really cook these?"  
  
Erwin blushed furiously. "Well, I couldn't have done it without Harry's help." Everyone stared at Harry, and he looked down at his plate. He glanced at Erwin and they both grinned.  
  
After breakfast, Lupin summoned everybody to the den. After everybody was assembled, he cleared his throat and said, "Now that the D.A. is now assembled, we have another guest here. She will be teaching you another kind of magic. Please welcome Ms. Mia Aleina."  
  
After that, there was silence. Harry wondered where would this teacher be, when suddenly, a gasp from the crowd interrupted his reverie. A section of wall behind Lupin shifted and a form seemed to unstick itself from it. The form changed quickly into that of a person . a girl. 


	6. Engkanto

Chapter Four: Engkanto  
  
The girl straightened up. She had long black hair, was about the same height as Erwin, and had brown intellectual eyes. But what was stranger to Harry was that she was the same age as he. She cricked her neck, as though she had just woken up, smiled, and stared to speak. "Hi everyone! Sorry for the rude interruption, but I was touring Diagon Alley a few minutes ago. So I had to take the quick way back."  
  
There was a commotion in the room. As far as Harry knew, the only way to get to a destination was by Apparition, and, Harry remembered, he was planning to take the Apparition test as soon as possible.  
  
"Ah! Harry Potter!" Mia exclaimed as she laid her eyes on him, though she seemed to forget the usual glance at his scar. "Surprised that I could move from place to place without using Apparition (at this, Harry was shocked) and that I could read your mind? (at this, several students chuckled at him) Well, in the Philippines, we are actually in danger because of forces that are as terrible as that of Voldemort's."  
  
Her statement was greeted with a stunned silence. Then Mia continued, in a grave voice, "Yes, it's true. Everyone in the Philippines is living in a death sentence each day. Each day that passes by is a blessing for most of them," - Colin Creevey gasped - "because we are always threatened by the the espiritu, or te spirits."  
  
Everyone gasped in horror, while she continued. "Not all of them are evil though, but the espiritu are divided in the extremes: the benevolent engkantos, who are like Dumbledore (Harry grinned at the twins) and the malevolent halimaw, who will remind you of Voldemort and his Death Eaters (a shudder ran through the crowd). And the worst part is that they seem to have a permanent enchantment around them so that most spells used for escaping, such as Apparation, Portkeys or Floo fires, are rendered useless in their presence. It's as if the only way out is to fight."  
  
"But, then," asked Cho, "how do you compensate for those...problems?"  
  
"Well, Cho," answered Mia, "there are other forms of magic. We still use wands, but in times of fighting the halimaw, we use magic of the soul. Because of this, even Muggle Filipinos are considered wizards because, with training, they can harness their hidden powers just like experienced wizards. Also, we are going to teach you our magic because of two possibilities: either Voldemort would be caught off guard at the sight of a new kind of magic, or, heaven forbid, he might have already recruited several halimaw into his dark army." At this, everyone was silent, stunned by the two possibilities, as well as the revelation that Muggles aren't what they seemed.  
  
Mia allowed them a few minutes' silence before continuing. "Now, spiritual magic is similar to wandless magic (Harry remembered the book Hermione gave him), except that the spells used are governed by sentient spirits, thus, they aren't limited to one purpose only."  
  
At this, she took an ornately designed katana from a sheath behind her. "The fire conjuring spell in wandless magic is just that: a fire conjuring spell." She held out her hand and a ball of fire appeared. "However, in spiritual magic, the spell could be modified so that it does this." She muttered some words and the ball of fire began to envelope the sword. "See? This way, a sword can be enchanted to burn its opponents with each slash." She waved her hand, and the flames on the sword died down. "One more thing: the wielder of spirit magic also has a unique ability, one that sets him or herself from other spirit wizards.  
  
"Right now, we are going to start with meditation. I have a feeling that most of you would have a hard time doing this, due to the fact that this would be the first time for most of you to harness your inner magic." "How would you know if you have harnessed your inner magic?" asked a boy from the group. "You'll know. You will feel it. It might take some time, but you will."  
  
Three hours had already passed, and the room was silent. Harry tried to concentrate, but images of Cedric, Sirius and his parents kept breaking his concentration. He focused his will on one thing: to save his friends from those terrible fates. Suddenly, he felt a rush; at the same time, Cho gasped. He felt warm iron bands tighten in his heart, and an image of a white skull impaled by a red glowing sword. As suddenly as it happened, it stopped. He opened his eyes, and he saw Erwin looking down at him, positively beaming.  
  
"Mia! Harry did it! His inner magic has awakened!" "I know, Cho here also awakened her power! Let's have a look at them, shall we?" Erwin and Mia gently led the two of them to the front, muttering slightly so that only Harry and Cho could hear, "Mia, I think the two of them make a great couple, don't you think?" At this, Harry and Cho looked at each other, then blushed a fiery red, and looked away, grinning." "Yeah, Erwin, I wish we were like them." Erwin looked at her suddenly (Harry noticed that he blushed suddenly), and Mia responded with a smile.  
  
When they were in front of the class, Mia conjured a table and Erwin left the room, returning moments later with two stone basins with runes and markings etched on them: Pensieves. "Now, all you have to do is to place your wand tips on your head, think about the symbol that you saw in your head." Cho and Harry touched their heads with their wands, and Harry felt the thought of the skull slide of him as if water dripped from his hair. Placing it into the Pensieves, the two symbols rose high enough for all of them to see. Harry saw his symbol float high, reminding him of the Dark Mark, and looking at Cho's, he let out a gasp. 


	7. Exorcimus

Chapter Five: Exorcimus  
  
Her symbol was the same as his! The only difference was that a blue sword impaled the skull. There was a gasp from the crowd. The two spirit wizards were silent. Then Erwin started to speak with Mia in Filipino. After a while, Mia said, "This is rare (the crowd grew silent). Not only the fact that they share the same unique magic, the magic itself is rare: the power to turn darkness." "The power to turn undead?" Cho asked. "That, Cho," Erwin interrupted, "is an understatement. Not only can it repel them, it can destroy them, which is powerful indeed. But there are other uses for turning undead. It can control them, it can put them at rest, it can alert you to the presence of dark power. But I said darkness, not undead only. Dark forces include Voldemort, demons, halimaw, practically anything that threatens the safety of everyone. But that is one side of the coin; the other side is the defensive side. It can cure nasty wounds, eliminate even the deadliest of diseases, or even create a sanctuary: an enchanted field that repels evil." He stopped, catching his breath. Mia continued the discussion.  
  
"Yes. Apparently, the white magic has been divided in two. You, Harry, have the offensive side of white magic, symbolized by the red sword. You, Cho, have the defensive version of white magic, as symbolized by the blue sword."  
  
Cho asked, "So what does this mean?"  
  
A voice from behind them replied, "It means that you are two halves of a powerful whole: the Exorcimus." Albus Dumbledore was sitting on a chair near the Pensieves.  
  
They jumped at the sound of Dumbledore. "Professor!" shouted a grinning Erwin, "You shouldn't surprise us like that! One of these days, you're gonna give us a big heart attack." Dumbledore just smiled while everyone in the room laughed heartily.  
  
Suddenly, Luna approached Dumbledore, eyes popping wider than usual, and asked, "Exorcimus? Isn't that a powerful branch of magic that You-Know- Who.I mean.Voldemort fears? That's what my dad told me."  
  
Harry was about to retort, since Luna was often interested with unbelievable stories, given that her father was the editor of the Quibbler, when Dumbledore said, "I see that your father is very intuitive. Yes, Luna, Exorcimus is the other side of the Dark Arts."  
  
Harry and Cho were about to ask more questions when Erwin and Mia interrupted them. "Alright everyone! Let's continue with the meditation. We might find some interesting inner magics in the most unexpected people."  
  
By noon, the entire group had "unlocked" their hidden powers. Parvarti was especially giddy with excitement, having discovered her power to predict things a few minutes before they happen (her favorite subject at Hogwarts is Divination). Neville, though, had a most unusual power: the power of balance. But, as Erwin explained, balance is a good thing. For one thing, Neville wasn't experiencing any more accidents ever since he got his power.  
  
"Now," said Dumbledore, once Zacharias Smith had displayed his new power, to conjure geysers, "this is only the tip of the iceberg. We now have to work quickly to cram ten years of spirit magic into your heads in.three months." "What? Three months!" The whole group muttered angrily at having to work extra hard. Dumbledore silenced them immediately with a glare. "I am sorry. But do not fear. The regimen for practicing magic has been implemented such that we can actually pull this off with as little stress as possible."  
  
Mia continued, "Alright! No time to be dawdling about. We eat lunch and everyone should be back here by 2:00 PM, you got that?" At this everyone rushed out to the dining room. 


	8. Training

Chapter Six: Training  
  
"Bloody hell!" yelled Ron, as he got up from Harry's blow. "Sorry, Ron! Don't know my own strength." It was their fifth session of hand-to-hand combat, and Erwin still wasn't calling for a halt.  
  
The room was filled with yells, combined with a few grunts and screams, due to the fact that they were sparring and that they had already begun to master advanced forms of sword fighting. After a while, Erwin called for a halt ("Finally!" gasped Ron).  
  
"Alright, we're going to have to make some changes in sparring partners," Erwin muttered, moving among the pairs that were sparring, "Neville, you partner with Dean Thomas. Ginny, partner with Seamus. Ron, you partner Hermione, and Cho, you partner with Harry."  
  
Immediately, Harry asked, "Why?" Before anyone could answer, Mia stepped in.  
  
"You two have excellent Quidditch-honed reflexes, so it's best that you two are partners, and," she said, with a devilish tone, "who knows? You might be fighting some good-looking Death Eaters." She giggled, and so did everyone in the room, leaving Harry and Cho blushing at each other, obviously too stunned for words.  
  
Three weeks had already passed since the discovery of inner magic, and they were already learning how to harness it to the fullest, and Dumbledore made sure that everyone was both physically and mentally fit to face Death Eaters.  
  
By afternoon, everyone sat down to learn new spells from Mia and Erwin. They were now learning how to "apparate" like Mia did the first time she met them. She took out her wand, muttered some words, causing her wand to emanate a golden light, and bellowed to everyone, "Right, so after you have said Palitus, keep in mind the destination you want to go to. After you have done this, make a slashing motion like so." She brought her wand down, and the area the wand passed through glowed, very much like a curtain ripped down the middle. After that, the glow widened and, after a few moments, formed a portal.  
  
"Right now, I have connected this portal to the kitchen so that I can help Mrs. Weasley make snacks, so Erwin." she said, with a strange look on her face, "please help them master the spell." She grinned wryly at him, and several students, including Harry and Cho, teased them. Erwin blushed, while Mia just grinned and stepped into the portal, which vanished a few seconds later. Harry could tell that Mia arrived at her destination due to the shriek of Mrs. Weasley coming from the kitchen.  
  
After a few hours of training on the proper incantation and wand movement, Erwin suggested that they try to apparate around the room, reassuring them that wards have been put around the room to prevent "nasty accidents, or anything of that sort", as he put it. It was quite easy, Harry thought, as he stepped once again into the portal, which led to the other side of the room. He noticed also that Neville, who often had a difficult time mastering the spells, was actually better in spirit magic than most people he had seen. Ron, on the other hand, was having a difficult time getting the portal wide enough for him to fit through.  
  
"Damn!" he swore for the fifth time, as the portal he created was only wide enough for someone of Dobby, the house-elf's height.  
  
"Manners, Ron," said Hermione, who had just stepped out of her portal next to them, "I could help you, if you want that is." Ron immediately replied "Sure!" and Hermione was teaching him the proper incantation, wand movements, etc. and in a few minutes, there was a triumphant "HA!" from Ron, making the others stare at him.  
  
"Ron," interrupted Lupin, "once you are done savoring the pleasure of doing the Palitus Portal, can I make an announcement?" Even though Lupin was speaking in a normal tone of voice, it seemed to have carried over to the other students, because everyone stopped their practicing. Lupin put on a grim face, upon which Harry and the others were stunned.did someone die? But just as sudden as his grim face, Lupin brightened up. "It's time for snacks! And a special surprise!" Everyone cheered, and they set off for the dinner hall. 


	9. The Unusual Snitch

Chapter Seven: The Unusual Snitch  
  
Dumbledore was waiting for them in the dining hall, and after everyone had taken their places by the tables, he cleared his throat, silencing the crowd, and said, "I have an announcement to make, a very important one." Everyone, including Harry, was excited, though at the same time anxious, as Dumbledore was speaking in a very grave tone.  
  
"I'm sorry to say." then, using the same trick as Lupin did, and grinned widely, "we have set up a Portal leading to the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch!"  
  
The hall burst into cheers, as if one of them had won the Quidditch World Cup. Harry was more than ecstatic. He wanted dearly to go back to playing Quidditch, after Umbridge had temporarily banned him.  
  
"Wow!" was all Harry could say as he stepped out onto the Quidditch pitch. After Dumbledore handed back Harry's Firebolt, he swore that he could feel it quivering in anticipation of being used after months of being imprisoned. Obliging it, he immediately dressed into his Quidditch robes, got on his Firebolt, and zoomed off into the pitch, releasing his personal Snitch, then took off after giving it a minute's headstart. As he was flying, he noticed a blue flash pass by him, grabbing the snitch just inches from him. "What the.!" Harry gasped, then saw, to his surprise, that Cho was also at the air, grinning, and, to Harry's surprise, she was riding a Firebolt.  
  
Cho said, "My parents gave it to me, as an early birthday gift before they left."  
  
Harry replied with a praising look in his eye, "Now that one of the best Seekers in Hogwarts" - Cho blushed - "has a top-of the line broom, what say I challenge you to a one-on-one Seeking?"  
  
"I'd be honored," said Cho, as everyone at the ground cheered.  
  
She released the Snitch, and they both waited for three minutes, all the while chatting for a while. After the three minutes had passed, chaos broke out as the two accelerated to a speed that seemed to rend the air in their wake. They chased the Snitch as though they were playing for their lives. They seemed to have displayed a most unusual duel: the duel of Seekers. Oddly, though, Harry did not hear any cheering. Sparing a half-second's glance at the crowd below, he saw that their faces were anything but awed. They were a mixture of shock and admiration. This was probably the first time they had seen the two of them play aggressively.  
  
Harry spotted the snitch fluttering high above the sky. That was weird, considering that Snitches never flew that high before. Immediately, he soared straight up, Cho following him when she noticed it too. But just as they were about to reach the golden orb, it dived abruptly and they had to dive also to prevent a collision. The Snitch was aware of that, and it abruptly broke off its dive, while the two Seekers followed suit. Then it disappeared.  
  
"What the." muttered Harry, and he slowed down a bit, scanning the pitch. Suddenly, he saw it.just behind Cho. At that, Harry zoomed towards the Snitch. Cho, on the other hand looked shocked to see Harry zooming towards her, almost as if he wanted to crash into her.  
  
Suddenly, a few feet from Cho, Harry left a mental instruction to the broom, then stood abruptly on the broom as though he was some kind of tightrope walker, then did the unexpected: he jumped and somersaulted gracefully over Cho, though he noticed for a brief millisecond that she seemed to register a mild look of surprise, and he reached for the Snitch, only to realize that it slipped through his fingers yet again. Weird, Harry thought, Snitches weren't this smart. Luckily, his broom had been waiting for him to catch his fall. Without missing a beat, Harry and Cho took off after the fleeing Snitch amidst gales of cheering from everyone watching.  
  
It was a match that even the World Cup had never experienced. They were not only flying, they somersaulted out of their brooms whenever the Snitch was near, they flew upside down so long as they wouldn't lose eye contact with the Snitch, they crisscrossed the air like an aerial ballet, and they seemed to duel in the air with relish. And as time passed, their abilities seemed to improve, and, to the onlookers, the two seemed to read each other's minds as well as that of the Snitch's.  
  
About three hours of amazing flying had passed when the unexpected happened. Just as Harry closed his fingers on the Snitch (it appeared to have tired of the game), Cho also grabbed it at the same time. Immediately, they stopped and descended, very much stunned.  
  
Suddenly, the noise coming from everyone down below seemed to have magnified a thousand times over. When they got down, everyone was charging down at them and bore them up as if they won five Quidditch Cups in a row.  
  
"Harry, Cho! You two are amazing!" yelled Hermione with awe.  
  
Ron piped in, "Yeah, mate. How come you never showed us those moves before?"  
  
"Uh, oh. Looks like Malfoy's in deep trouble now," the Weasley Twins said, and everyone cheered loudly at that.  
  
"Harry, did you like the new Snitch I gave you on your birthday?" Dumbledore asked, instantly silencing everyone.  
  
"Yeah, but how come it acted strangely? It behaved as though it read our minds." "Ah," said Dumbledore, holding up the Snitch, "this Snitch was enchanted by me.as well as the other famous Seekers in the past. They wanted to pass their knowledge to future Seekers like you and Cho. So." Dumbledore asked, "Did you two like my present." The two were speechless, but Dumbledore knew better, that words could not express the thanks Harry and Cho had. "Alright everyone, since you had a good month's worth of training, you can all have week of rest." As soon as he finished those words, the students burst out into cheers and set off to enjoy their rest time in Hogwarts. 


	10. Preparations

Chapter Eight: Preparations  
  
Harry had awakened from visions of red into a wonderful dawn. Noticing that everyone was asleep, he decided to visit the Quidditch Pitch.  
  
"Now, now, Harry," came the quiet voice of Professor Dumbledore as Harry walked down the dining hall, "Quidditch isn't the same without an opponent."  
  
"But Cho's asleep."  
  
"No, she isn't," interrupted Dumbledore, and, as if on cue, Cho stepped out from the door behind him.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry. Hi Professor. Just wanted to have an early breakfast."  
  
"Ah, Cho, save that for later. Don't Seekers have to have a good exercise once in a while?" Cho stared at Dumbledore, wondering what he was talking about.  
  
"I will be training you in Quidditch, as Madam Hooch is currently busy." Harry and Cho asked at the same time, "Why?"  
  
"Because there are few people who have your kind of talent. That, combined with your bravery, Harry, and your intelligence, Cho, could bring out more than you have ever known, aside from your inner magic." Dumbledore chuckled.  
  
Harry and Cho discovered that Professor Dumbledore was not only a master in dueling, he was also an expert at Quidditch. Using his own broom, a Silver Arrow, he not only caught the Snitch in a short time, he could do the tricks Harry and Cho did in their last game. By the time he descended, the two of them found a hard time closing their mouths in shock. "Now, let's see.we have breakfast after an hour's practice, then we have more fighting and magic practice after that." Dumbledore muttered to no one in particular, apparently deep in thought, "Oh yes! Harry, Cho, let's get started, shall we?"  
  
He had not been expecting this, Harry thought, as Professor Dumbledore led them for the nth time through the motions of feints that would have made Viktor Krum proud. Only twenty minutes had passed and Harry and Cho were already exhausted from the intensive training they had received.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore really is something, isn't he?" asked Cho as they were given a five minute break.  
  
Harry said, through gritted teeth (his arms were sore from gripping the broom), "Yeah, I didn't know he could play that good."  
  
"Surprised, aren't you?" came a voice from behind them. Lupin and Madam Hooch were striding towards them from the Hogwarts castle. Harry was surprised to see that Madam Hooch was wearing the same thunderstruck expression used by the other students the other day.  
  
Suddenly, she yelled, "HARRY POTTER! CHO CHANG! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"  
  
"What the." Harry and Cho gasped. They had never seen Madam Hooch this livid before.  
  
"YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT YOU COULD DO THOSE AMAZING STUNTS! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU ALL PLAYING AT? HOW COME YOU NEVER DID THOSE DURING THE LAST QUIDDITCH MATCHES? WELL?" Her voice reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley's Howler that she had sent Ron on their second year, only this time, Madam Hooch was in tears, laughed hysterically, and had the two in a bone-crushing hug.  
  
"You two are going to be the stuff of Quidditch legends! Charlie Weasley would be proud of you!"  
  
Then, turning to Professor Dumbledore, she screeched once again, "AND YOU, ALBUS! I WAS NOT INFORMED THAT YOU COULD PLAY A DAMN GOOD SEEKER!" Even as she screamed, her expression became happier.  
  
Dumbledore replied, "Now, now Madam Hooch. you don't have to throw a temper tantrum. Anyway, it feels good to stretch these old muscles again. Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Harry, Cho, we'll have to continue practicing. We have fifteen minutes left."  
  
"Whoa, Harry! Dumbledore was a Seeker before?" breathed Ron, as Harry, Cho, Professor Dumbledore and Lupin stepped through the portal back to the Grimmauld Place to eat breakfast with the others.  
  
"Yeah." said a very tired Harry, who wished very much that he could go to sleep.  
  
"Ow! My muscles are aching! Professor Dumbledore could give Madam Hooch a run for her money!" said Cho to Hermione, Ginny and Luna.  
  
"That Dumbledore really is something, eh Ronald? Maybe you should get some Keeper practice." Luna said to Ron, who immediately blushed on seeing her smile.  
  
Dumbledore immediately took the time to reply, "Capital idea! Why not? Ron, you will also have practice tomorrow morning. Ms. Lovegood, would you be so kind as to pass the bacon?" Ron opened and closed his mouth a couple of times like a fish, and stuttered, "I-I.I would be honored to be trained by you, sir."  
  
Weeks passed by, and by that time, it was nearly the start of their return back to Hogwarts. And by that time, the D.A. had already mastered several jinxes and defensive spells, wizard dueling and hand-to-hand combat. In Quidditch, each of the three House teams' mastery of the game was improving so fast that by the end of the month, they could already play in the Quidditch World Cup. Ron had received so much training that he could predict a player's movement and make a save.  
  
Lupin said, "Alright, that covers most of our topics. Now, we are going to Diagon Alley to buy our school supplies. To prevent any.incidents, Kingsley, Tonks, Moody and I are going to escort you. Because you all need."  
  
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" yelled Moody, and everyone in the room, including Dumbledore, jumped in surprise. At this, Moody laughed heartily at their shocked faces. 


	11. Battle at Diagon Alley

Chapter Nine: Battle at Diagon Alley  
  
"Ahhh! Feels great to be back here!" breathed Ron, as they stepped into the ever-familiar streets of Diagon Alley. The D.A. divided themselves between the four Order members. First, they retrieved some gold from Gringotts. After that, they visited the wizarding bookstore Flourish and Blotts, though mercifully, they only had to buy a few books, then they set off to buy potion ingredients, broom maintenance supplies, and many other things, oblivious to the fact that it was most unsafe today.  
  
Harry was just about to buy a wand polish from Mr. Ollivanders when he heard a shriek from outside. Excusing himself, he exited the building to find two Death Eaters confronting none other than Hermione and Ginny. He was about to go over and help when a hand gripped his upper arm.  
  
"Not yet, Potter. Watch for a bit. Let's see if your training them in the D.A. bore fruit." The voice of Moody said to Harry.  
  
The two Death Eaters snarled at the two girls. "I know that you are friends with him. Tell me where Potter is and we won't hurt you.much." The two Death Eaters laughed maniacally. To their surprise, however, Hermione and Ginny laughed as well.  
  
"D-don't you realize," Hermione said, in between laughs, "that we won't surrender Harry to you without a fight?" "Yeah, you think that we're going to take this lying down?" piped in Ginny.  
  
At this, the Death Eaters snarled, pulled out their wands and were on the process of chanting a death curse when the crowd gasped as the two girls ran like lightning towards the Death Eaters! At this, they were momentarily distracted but that proved to be their downfall as Hermione landed two fierce kicks at the man's face and wand while Ginny grabbed the other's wand, snapped it, and landed several punches at the other's gut, face and chest. They moved like tigresses, and by the time the Aurors had arrived, the two Death Eaters scrambled on their knees to them, begging at them.  
  
The Death Eaters immediately ran to the Aurors and begged to be taken away "from these monsters". Taken aback by those remarks, the Aurors conjured ropes at the two Death Eaters and Apparated away. A blank silence followed for a few minutes, and then suddenly, it was like unmuting a Quidditch World Cup match. The entire crowd cheered and swarmed over to them, congratulating them. Harry couldn't help but rush over too and hug them.  
  
"That was an impressive bit of fighting you got there." Dumbledore's voice called over to the two girls, and the crowd parted for him to go over to them, "I see that the D.A. did show them a few tricks, right Harry?" He said nothing, yet nodded in awe. But that was immediately stopped when he heard more screams coming from near the Leaky Cauldron. Moody, Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione and Ginny immediately ran over to the source of the commotion, which turned out to be more Death Eaters facing Tonks, Lupin, Shacklebolt, and the rest of the D.A.  
  
But, to Harry's surprise, the D.A. were also fighting without the aid of magic, only using it sparingly when they were getting overpowered. Even the spells the D.A. cast were cast with ferocity and speed.  
  
"Potter is here!" yelled a Death Eater who was near Harry. Harry immediately yelled "SILENCIO! STUPEFY!" and the Death Eater collapsed and was unable to speak a word, but the news had already passed to the other Death Eaters, and they made a beeline for him.  
  
"Capture him!" Harry could hear the cry "INCARCEROUS!" and he immediately responded with a "PROTEGO!" deflecting the ropes back at its caster.  
  
They're coming, thought Harry. At that moment, a feeling similar to that of a lion cornered by its enemies arose within him. It was fight or flight! He suddenly became vaguely aware of what was happening. Shrieks from the Death Eaters.the spells he cast in quick succession, though he had no idea what he cast.the punches and kicks he delivered with Seeker reflexes and lightning fierceness.the gasps of Death Eaters falling before him.the cries of "HARRY!" from the D.A.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, Harry came back to his senses. Only then did he see the unconscious bodies of the Death Eaters. Suddenly, he fell on his knees, suddenly aware that he bacame tired.  
  
The D.A. were swarming over him as Aurors Apparated in time to capture the fallen Death Eaters. They were cheering him and checking him if he was alright.  
  
"Harry! You did it! You defeated twenty Death Eaters!" Susan Bones cheered, hugging Harry along with the others.  
  
"By yourself, too!" Cho added, as she planted a kiss on Harry's cheek. He immediately snapped out of his reverie, blushing; Cho smiled at him again.  
  
"Impressive, Harry," said Kingsley Shacklebolt, shaking his hand, "Not even our best Aurors could hold off that kind of assault."  
  
Professor McGonagall strode out of the crowd to congratulate Harry. "I knew it!" she beamed at him, "You do make an excellent Auror! That means you'll have to put plenty of effort in your lessons from now on!"  
  
It was a long time until Lupin decided that it was time to go back to the Grimmauld Place. Making sure that there was no one else watching, he opened a portal back and in a few moments, all of them were back at headquarters, though sad that they weren't able to buy their school supplies. 


	12. Author's Notes 3

First things first... the Disclaimer:   
  
I own nothing regarding Harry Potter! You hear me? Nothing! Only the fictitious characters and plot are mine. Any resemblance to these characters, living, dead or undead, is strictly by coincidence. (In other words, don't sue me)  
  
Author's Notes 3:  
  
Hey! Thanks for the reviews! They are what keep me writing. Anyway, hope to get a few more reviews so that I'll have enough inspiration to write the next chapters.  
  
Upcoming:  
  
1. Harry and Cho have a little talk.  
  
2. What's up with Draco in Diagon Alley?   
  
3. Harry and Co. find a new...friend.  
  
4. And more (probably)!  
  
***NotSoUnforgivableCurse*** 


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